Flexible Computation in Intelligent Systems:

Results, Issues, and Opportunities


AAAI Fall Symposium

November 9-11, 1996
Cambridge, MA, USA

Welcome to the home page for the forthcoming AAAI Fall Symposium on Flexible Computation. You can jump to specific information on this page by clicking on the following:

Call for Participation

Flexible computation refers to procedures that allow a graceful tradeoff to be made between the quality of results and allocations of costly resources, such as time, memory, or information. Systems employing flexible computation gain the ability to adapt the quality of their response to dynamic changes in requirements for precision, and to uncertainty or variation in the cost of computational commodities. Recent examples of flexible computation techniques include memory-bounded search, anytime algorithms, approximate query processing, and a variety of imprecise computation techniques. Flexible computation has been applied to combinatorial optimization, planning, probabilistic inference, decision making, and theorem proving. Our goal is to explore results, critical problems, and opportunities via invited talks, presentation papers, and panel discussions.

Topics of interest include:

We are especially interested in experiences with applications in time-critical environments, or other resource-limited situations.

Submission and Review of Materials

We invite the participation of researchers who have been working on problems in areas including artificial intelligence, information retrieval, databases, operating systems, communications, signal processing, robotics, and numerical analysis. We are interested in both analytical and experimental work.

Prospective participants should submit a brief paper (5 pages or less) or an extended abstract describing their research or interests. Papers should be submitted electronically via ftp to flexcomp.microsoft.com/flexcomp96. Participants will have an opportunity to contribute to the final working notes.

Important Dates

For additional information or inquiries, feel free to contact the Symposium co-chairs:

Flexcomp Program Committee

Registration

Registration will be in the foyer of the Tang Center, Building E51, Massachusetts Institute of Technology. We strongly urge participants to register early as this will minimize the hassle associated with registering at the conference. AAAI will forward registrants a working notes for the conference ahead of time.  

Accommodations in Cambridge

AAAI has reserved a block of rooms at the Royal Sonesta Hotel. The rate is $129.00 for a single or double room. Symposium attendees must contact the Royal Sonesta Hotel directly. Please identify yourself as an American Association for Artificial Intelligence Fall Symposium registrant to qualify for the reduced rate.

Royal Sonesta Hotel
5 Cambridge Parkway
Cambridge, MA 02142-1299
Telephone (617) 491-3600
Fax (617) 661-5956

In case of space limitations, you can access information on other hotels recommended by AAAI.

Transportation and Parking

United Airlines is the official carrier for AAAI. Save 5 percent on lowest applicable fares, some restrictions apply. Save 10 percent on lowest unrestricted coach class fares with 7 day advance purchase. Travel between November 2-14, 1996. Alamo Rent A Car is also offering special rates starting as low as $26/day or $115/week, with unlimited free mileage and bonus frequent flyer miles on United.

For lowest available fares on any airline, call Conventions in America, our official travel agency, at 1-800-929-4242 and ask for Group #428. You will also receive free flight insurance of $100,000 and become eligible to win free travel worldwide in their bi-monthly drawings. Outside U. S. and Canada, call 619-678-3600 / fax 619-678-3699 / Internet FLYCIA@balboa.com . If you call United direct at 1-800-521-4041, ask for Tour Code #556NT. Alamo 1-800-732-3232, ID#409268 GR.

Parking on the MIT campus is restricted Monday through Friday from 7:30 AM to 4:00 PM. As the dates for the Symposium coincide with a state holiday and normal business will not be conducted at the Institute on those dates, parking by visitors will be permitted in the surrounding lots. Public parking is also available in the garage adjacent to the Marriot Hotel.

Campus Police Parking and Traffic Division has compiled this list of public parking facilities for your use. Please note that all information is subject to change and should not be considered final.

MIT:
139 Massachusetts Avenue
253-8232
($7.00 per day, $2.00 hour.)


Park and Lock:
354 3rd Street
547-2685.
($6.00 per day.)


Kinney Systems
Four Cambridge Center (Entrance is on Ames St. and Broadway)
492-1956
($2.75 for one hour, $5.25 for two hours, $7.75 for twelve hours, $10.50 for 24 hours.)


Kinney Systems
Ten Cambridge Center
621-3115
($2.25 for one hour, $4.50 for two hours, $6.75 for twelve hours, $9.00 for 24 hours.)

Ground Transportation

This information is the best available at time of printing. Fares and routes change frequently. Please check by telephoning the appropriate numbers below for the most up-to-date information.

Arrival by Air

Logan International Airport is approximately five miles from the MIT campus. Taxi fare to the campus is approximately $15.00, regardless of the number of passengers. Public transportation to MIT is available; although an inexpensive alternative, it is quite cumbersome with luggage and not recommended.

Arrival by Train

You will arrive in Boston at South Station. Taxi service and public transportation are available.

Arrival by Car

MIT is located in Cambridge on Memorial Drive, a major roadway in the region's highway system. From the west and northwest, there is access to Memorial Drive from the Massachusetts Turnpike (Interstate 90) and Route 2. From the north (Interstate 93/Southeast Expressway), the suggested approach is to connect with Storrow Drive in Boston via the central artery bridgeways, heading west on Storrow Drive. Take the Massachusetts Avenue exit onto the Harvard Bridge which crosses the Charles River and leads you straight to MIT's central entrance at 77 Massachusetts Avenue (Building 7).

Announcements

Watch this section for late-breaking information about the symposium as the conference draws nearer.

We wish to remind contributors that have not yet faxed in their release forms to fax their forms to 206-936-1616. This will allow the working notes to be distributed as a AAAI technical report. All attendees should attempt to pre-register to minimize the time and effort with registering at the conference.